


Errand of Mercy

by Anonymous



Category: RWBY
Genre: Atlas Academy, Dinner, Established Relationship, F/M, Fade to Black, Gen, Kissing, Melancholy, Pre-Canon, world building
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-02
Updated: 2018-06-02
Packaged: 2019-05-17 09:28:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14829713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: The Fall Maiden has been attacked by three unknown assailants.  Qrow stepped in to save her, but he was too late. Now, Amber lies on the verge of death at Beacon Academy.  With no other ideas on how to keep her alive, Glynda goes to Atlas Academy to ask General Ironwood for technology that can at least stall her death.





	Errand of Mercy

**Author's Note:**

  * For [silveradept](https://archiveofourown.org/users/silveradept/gifts).



Glynda Goodwitch sat on her seat in the airship between Beacon and Vale. She was silently scanning documents on her scroll, her riding crop resting in the empty seat next to her. The hum of the ship’s dust powered engines was a constant reminder that the airship was still working properly. A woman in a uniform came down the central aisle at regular intervals to check on everyone. Sometimes Glynda would request a water or a cup of tea, but she never asked for more than that.

The flight was uneventful to the point of boredom. They didn’t even hit much turbulence in the hours that they spent in the air. It at least presented a good opportunity to catch up on paperwork.

“Please, fasten your seatbelts and prepare for landing,” said the pilot’s voice over the intercom, his accent barely audible.

Glynda straightened her seat and closed her scroll before putting it away, her seatbelt was already secure across her hips. She turned to gaze out of the window at the impressive city beneath them. As the airship began its descent it grew larger and larger until she could only see a fraction of the city and not the whole thing.

There was a small thud as the airship landed and the ever-present hum of the engines died down and then disappeared entirely. The recirculated air stilled until the heavy door could be opened, letting in air from the outside. The air carried with it the scents of a large city, it wasn’t very pleasant, slightly acidic, but it was still preferable to the heavily recirculated air that had been going through the cabin for hours.

“You are now free to remove your seatbelts and disembark,” the captain said again over the intercom.

Glynda unbuckled her seatbelt and rose to her feet, stepping into the aisle so that she could retrieve her luggage from where it rested above. With the suitcase marked with her emblem in hand, she moved towards the open door. There were half a dozen passengers ahead of her and she was forced to wait until they descended the airship’s stairs onto the tarmac before she could.

The sun was blinding for a moment as she stepped outside, forcing Glynda to squint. When her eyes adjusted she caught sight of a young woman with white hair and ramrod straight posture. She was Winter Schnee, the right-hand woman of James Ironwood. 

Glynda descended the steps until her feet were on the tarmac. She moved around the other passengers and headed straight for Winter.

“Welcome to Vale, Ms. Goodwitch,” Winter greeted her. “I hope your flight was pleasant.”

“It was uneventful,” Glynda said.

“Follow me, please,” Winter said as she turned and began leading Glynda towards a private car that was waiting.

Glynda followed behind Winter, holding her suitcase in one hand. Even in this seemingly secure and peaceful location, Glynda’s senses were on alert, as always, for anything that could be a threat. 

Winter opened the door of the car, letting Glynda get in first, before she followed and took a seat next to her. Glynda set her suitcase on the floor at her feet. The driver started the engine and slowly pulled off the tarmac, following the way to the actual roads.

“Your visit here is rather sudden,” Winter said.

“Yes, I need to discuss something with General Ironwood,” Glynda said. Her clipped tone said as much as words that she wouldn’t be elaborating on the reason for the visit with Winter.

Winter nodded, taking no offense. As a woman that was part of the military, she understood better than most that some things needed to be kept to as few people as possible and sometimes that meant that there were things that General Ironwood needed to know that she didn’t, things that were sometimes too sensitive to be discussed in anything but in person.

“Do you have any siblings?” Glynda asked in a friendlier tone of voice.

“I have a younger sister and a younger brother,” Winter said.

“Weiss Schnee?”

“I see Weiss has sent in her application. Yes, my sister decided she wanted to head a bit further from home for her own huntress training.”

“I look forward to seeing how Weiss does in the next school year,” Glynda said.

The rest of the ride passed in silence as the car glided through the streets. While this was not Glynda’s home, she’d come to Atlas often enough that she knew the route to the school very well. Watching the familiar route slip past. When the car pulled up to the front steps of Atlas Academy, Glynda was grabbing her suitcase and moving for the door before the car had come to a complete stop. She strode up the front steps, never looking left or right. Even if she hadn’t been a familiar sight no one would have stood in her way.

Winter rushed to follow Glynda, surprised at the impatience at one seemed like a routine visit. As Winter fell into step to the right of and just behind Glynda, her eyes narrowed as she caught sight of the worry crease between Glynda’s eyes that she couldn’t keep away any longer and the way Glynda’s shoulders had tensed up, seeming to hold up the rest of her person like a dress off of a hanger.

Students and staff passed the two on either side, going both directions. As Glynda and Winter approached General Ironwood’s office the amount of people around them dwindled as classes started.

Finally, Glynda and Winter stopped in front of the thick doors that led to General Ironwood’s office. Winter raised one hand and rapped against the door with her knuckles.

“You can come in,” came General Ironwood’s voice, muffled through the door.

Winter stepped forward and opened the door, before moving aside to allow Glynda to enter the office. Glynda stepped in, moving in front of General Ironwood’s desk as she set her suitcase on the ground.

General Ironwood was at his desk. He looked from Glynda to Winter and then back again before saying, “Winter, we would like some privacy while talking. Make sure no one disturbs us.”

“At once, sir,” Winter said before shutting the door.

“Professor Ozpin sent a message that you’d be coming and that it was important. So important that he couldn’t tell me what it was about.”

Glynda sank into a chair. “James, it’s Amber.”

James’s entire body tensed. “Go on,” he said.

“She was attacked by unknown assailants, two women and a man,” Glynda said. “Qrow stepped in and drove them off.”

“You wouldn’t have come to see me in person if that was all that there was too it,” James said as he leant forward in his chair, his steel eyes locked on Glynda.

“They did something to Amber. She’s not waking up, she’s barely even alive. They are keeping her going with dust and machines, but we can only keep it going for so long. But its worse than just the Fall Maiden being attacked. Ozpin said that part of her powers are gone.”

In the history of the world, the powers of the Maidens had fallen into wicked hands before. Sometimes the death of a Maiden who would send the powers to a random person and there were times when this random person would turn out to be the type to use the powers for ill. Other times a Maiden would be thinking of a such a woman at her death and the powers would transfer, but this was different. No one had ever been able to take a portion of a Maiden’s power before. These three had also vanished completely. No one had been able to find any trace of them. They didn’t even have the option of detaining the woman responsible and, if worst came to worst, killing her in her sleep so that a new Fall Maiden could inherit the powers.

“What does Ozpin need from me?” James asked. “You wouldn’t have come all this way to tell me in person if he didn’t want something from me.”

“James,” Glynda said with a sigh before shaking her head and giving him a small smile, “you are right. We can only keep her along for so long with what we have, but Atlas is the most technologically advancing nation on the planet. If any country has the technology to keep Amber alive until we figure out how best to protect her powers, it’s you. Though, it was actually going to be Qrow that was going to come here. I requested that Ozpin send me instead. It’s still the break between semesters and thinks have been relatively calm in Vale.” What Glynda wasn’t saying was that she wanted to see him. She thought it was selfish, but if someone had to come to Atlas to talk to James then it might as well be her.

“I can see what I can do. I’ll contact the engineers that work for me and have them get to work on the problem. How much time can you give me?” James asked.

“Our best guess was that we could keep her going for a week with what we have, but if there is an emergency at Beacon then I don’t know what they will do.” Currently, most of their resources were being poured into keeping Amber alive.

“I’ll put in a requisition of supplies to be transferred from Atlas to Beacon. We can use that to cover up the transport of the technology.”

Glynda relaxed, “Thank you, James.”

“I’ll arrange to have a room for you to stay in during your stay.”

 

Once Glynda was left alone in her room she put her suitcase on the wooden table and began to look around. She trusted James, but that didn’t mean that someone else couldn’t have put a spying device in her room. The attack on Amber had her on edge. It was all too perfect to be a coincidence. Losing to a bandit and the power going to them was plausible, but to take part of her powers would mean that they were prepared to attack a maiden. The only way she could think of them finding out exactly where Amber was going to be was if there was a leak somewhere.

With her telekinetic semblance it was easy for Glynda to search the entire room in a matter of minutes. If she hadn’t been familiar with the rooms at Atlas Academy it would have taken longer even with her semblance, but she’d stayed in the quarters here often enough and all the guest rooms were identical to one another.

Once she was sure that this room was as secure as she could hope it to be on such short notice, Glynda finally allowed herself to relax. She dropped onto the bed and tugged at her boots, dropping them onto the floor next to her bedside. Glynda then laid down on her back. She reached up to take off her glasses, folding them in her hand and then holding them against her stomach with both hands as she let her eyes close.

A sharp rap came at the door.

Glynda sat up, putting her glasses back on. The clock on the wall said that a little over two hours had passed since she’d entered the room. She must have dozed off. This whole ordeal had been more draining than Glynda had initially thought.

The knock came at the door again.

Glynda got off the bed and took a moment to look in the mirror. She straightened out the worst of the wrinkles in her clothing before going to the door and opening it. 

“Can I come in?” James asked.

“Well, this is your school. Yes, you can come in,” Glynda said as she stepped aside to let James enter. Once he was inside she shut the door behind him.

“This room is the most secure of the guest rooms in Atlas Academy.” James walked through the room, moving towards the window. He reached out with one hand to part it slightly, looking through it. “I’m concerned about there being a security breach.”

Glynda sighed. “Yes, I have the same concern. With students, staff, and more coming and going at the schools it wouldn’t be unreasonable to think that there might be something in place to spy on us.”

“I’m talking more than spying.”

“More than- James, are you really talking about there being a traitor?” Glynda asked.

“There was Raven,” James pointed out as he turned back from the window to face Glynda.

“Raven did let us down, but I don’t think she’d go after Amber. Not when she already-“

“That’s exactly why we should suspect her, Glynda. She’s already caused us to lose the Spring Maiden and now the Fall Maiden has been attacked.” His voice had gotten just a little louder as he spoke.

“You might have a point. But, right now we need to focus on making sure Amber doesn’t die, at least not yet. Then we can look for the source of the any potential leaks as well as sending Qrow to have a chat with his sister.” Glynda stepped closer, adjusting her glasses as she did. Without her shoes on the height difference was even greater than what she was normally used to. “James, will you have dinner with me tonight?”

“Glynda, but what about Amber and the technology?” James asked her. 

“You already have your people getting together what we need. No good will come from the two of us sitting together, thinking about things that we can’t do anything about at the moment. Besides, if there are spies, shouldn’t we give the impression that nothing is wrong?”

James reached up, running his hands back through his hair. “You’re right. We do need to keep up appearances, at least so others don’t know anything is wrong. I’ll go down to the main entrance. Meet me there when you’re ready to go,” James said.

“Alright,” Glynda said, “I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

 

Glynda had not brought a fancy change of clothing with her. She settled for just changing into something she hadn’t been traveling in, a different blouse and an asymmetrical skirt. It was overall similar in design to the clothing she wore as both a huntress and as an instructor.

They’d traveled in James’s private care to a Vacuo style restaurant. It wasn’t the fanciest of places, but it also wasn’t something that would be so unusual to find a general at. They entered the restaurant together and were quickly shown to a table as soft music that made Glynda think of the desert played.

“It’s been forever since I last has Vacuoian cuisine,” Glynda said.

“I don’t know when I have had anything that wasn’t Atlisian,” James said as he picked up the menu to look it over.

“You’ll be able to have food from Vale soon enough,” Glynda said. Her eyes were scanning her menu as she spoke.

“Yes, the Vytal Festival. I look forward to seeing it…” James trailed off.

Glynda didn’t need him to say anymore to know what he was thinking and feeling about it. He was always worried about the security, about threats lurking around every corner and behind every smile. Nothing very serious had ever happened in previous rounds. There had never even been so much as a terrorist attack from the White Fang. While she didn’t want to say that they had become complacent, they had always been able to find any potential problems before they could cause any issues and without alerting either the public or the students.

“Would the two of you like anything to drink?” asked the waitress as she stepped up to their table.

“I’ll have a glass of wine,” Glynda said.

“Just water for me,” James said.

“Alright, one glass of wine and one glass of water. Are the two of you ready to place your orders or would the two of you like more time to decide?”

“I’m ready,” said Glynda.

“As am I.”

“Alright, what will you have, ma’am?”

“I’ll have the chicken biryani,” Glynda said.

“And you, sir?” she asked James.

“The beef korma,” James said as he handed his menu over to the waitress.

The waitress repeated the order back to the two of them to confirm it was correct before leaving the table to put the order in the kitchen. A few minutes later she returned with their respective drinks and set them in front of the two before leaving once more.

“It’s been so long since we did something like this together.” Glynda played with the stem of her wine glass.

“I do miss being able to travel as a team, but I could never abandon my responsibility to Atlas.”

Glynda gave a somber smile as she lifted up her wine glass and took a sip of it. When she pulled it back down again she said, “I know, and you never shirk your responsibilities. I’m the same way.” That was what made the whole thing so sad. If the two of them were a little less responsible they could have declined Ozpin’s offer, maybe they could have gotten married and started a family like Taiyang and Summer did, but they were both just too dedicated to the cause and too responsible to take that time out for themselves.

“I don’t know how to be any other way.”

“I know. That’s why I fell in love with you. Why I still love you,” Glynda said. When she looked into James’s eyes she could see his own love for her reflected back. She could honestly say that she loved James more than any other man in her life, but love wasn’t enough. Neither of them could have been happy together knowing what dangers existed in the world and what needed to be protected.

“I feel the same way,” James said. It was a rather large admission for the man in a place as public as a restaurant, though they were seated away from the other patrons who were all engaged in their own conversations.

“Let’s take a vacation together after the Vytal Festival,” Glynda said. It was more of a pleasant idea than something concrete, a fantasy to share with James. “We could take a few Huntsman missions. I’m sure Ozpin and Winter can manage a few days without us. We can even stay close so that we are easy to find if we are needed.”

“A few days in the wilderness would be relaxing. Would we go full team of four or would it be just the two of us?”

“Oh, I think the two of us can handle any Grimm that comes our way. Besides, with the two of us it will be fare more of an intimate experience.” There was a flirtatious hint to Glynda’s voice as she spoke.

James finally nodded, “Winter is always telling me that I need to take more breaks. If the Vytal Festival ends without major incident then I’ll go on vacation with you.”

“I’m glad you are seeing it my way,” Glynda said.

The conversation paused then because the waitress returned with their food. It smelt good and Glynda was famished after the long day she’d had. She had missed lunch entirely and hadn’t eaten since that morning.

 

Glynda and James walked side by side through the halls of Atlus Academy. They barely encountered anyone at this late hour. James, ever the gentleman, had offered to walk Glynda to her room. While both of them knew that she didn’t need his protection at all, she had accepted the offer to extend their time together just a little bit longer.

They stopped outside of the door to Glynda’s room.

“This is your room,” James said.

“Yes, it is my room,” Glynda replied in amusement.

“I should leave, unless you don’t want me to leave?” James asked.

Glynda took James’s hand, the one covered with a glove, hiding the metal beneath it. “I’d love it if you stayed a little while longer.” She opened the door then and stepped inside, waiting for James to follow her.

When James entered the room, he shut the door behind him. He stepped closer to Glynda, wrapping his right arm around her and reaching up to caress her face with his flesh and blood left hand. Glynda wrapped her own arms around him. They just stood there, swaying a little as they held each other and stared.

Then they realized that they could hear music leaking in through the walls.

“It’s after curfew,” Glynda and James said in unison. They exchanged looks and then they both began to laugh.

“Someone else can take care of it,” James said.

“Because the headmaster can’t run around dealing with every rule infraction. That’s what his faculty and staff are for,” Glynda teased.

The distance between them closed as he moved down, and she moved up, their lips met in the middle. Glynda closed her eyes, savoring this kiss that was so far away from the last one. She was sure that once they parted for the night that the next kiss would be just as long, if not longer. When their lips parted she didn’t need to ask or say anything. They both knew what the other wanted, what the other longed for.

James and Glynda moved toward the bed. Glynda activated her semblance, using it to strip away their clothing for them and even folding it up neatly before setting it down on the table.

“I was looking forward to doing that,” James said as he kissed Glynda again. His metal arm was rather stationary, but his flesh one was already exploring her bare chest to see if anything had changed since the last time.

“You wanted to fold the clothing?” Glynda replied.

“Next time, no semblance.” James’s kisses were going lower and lower on Glynda’s body

If the room had been bugged during the time they were gone for dinner they weren’t going to get any useful information, not even for blackmail. They would discover all the creative uses that Glynda and James could put her telekinetic semblance and his half metal body to.

 

It was before dawn when Glynda woke up. She didn’t need to turn her head to know that James was still in bed with her. Only he had that distinctive hot and cold feel. She didn’t like to remember why he had been forced to go that far to repair his body, she was just glad that he had survived. Glynda would have gladly stayed right where she was for a little while longer, but she began to hear dinging coming from James’s scroll.

“James, it’s your scroll,” Glynda said as she turned over to face him.

As a military man James was able sleep anywhere, but he was also a very light sleeper. His eyes snapped open and his head turned, looking toward the table where their belongings had been placed.

“I need to answer that.” There was regret in his voice.

Glynda sat up in bed and watched him disentangle himself from the sheets. She did not mind the view at all as he nakedly moved across the carpeted floor. He picked up the scroll and answered it, but he was only transmitting audio.

“This is General Ironwood,” James said in his official voice. It wasn’t a bad voice, but Glynda personally preferred the voice that he used when it was just the two of them.

“This is Winter, sir. The engineers have finished building the system that you requested. It’s all ready to be loaded into an airship to go back to Beacon,” Winter said. While her voice sounded calm and professional to the average person, there was pride hidden under it.

“I thought they said it would take three days to put together,” James said.

“You said that you wanted this to be top priority, so we made it top priority.”

James glanced over at Glynda. “What about the rest of the cargo?”

“I’ve already taken care of that. I’ve also arranged a transport back to Vale, including Ms. Goodwitch.”

“You’ve exceeded my expectations, as always,” James said. “I will talk to you later. Goodbye.” James had hit the button to end the call. He turned back to face Glynda. 

She just reached for her glasses and put them back on her face. “Your staff is very efficient,” Glynda said good-naturedly.

“I’m sorry. I thought that they would take longer,” James apologized.

“No, no, Amber is on a strict time limit. The faster I can get this technology back to her the better it will be for everyone. We were just taking advantage of the free time that the situation gave us.” Just like always, duty and responsibility always came before the romantic feelings that they held for one another. “Besides, I have our vacation to look forward to.”

“After the Vytal Festival,” James said.

“After the Vytal Festival,” Glynda agreed.

She got out of bed then, using her semblance to bring her suitcase to her. Glynda opened her suitcase and began to dig through it, pulling out a fresh set of clothing for the trip back home. As she dressed, James put his clothing back on from the previous night.

“James,” Glynda said as she moved to him. She pulled him down gently and gave him one final kiss. Who knew when the next time they’d be able to do something like this, so she might as well give him one more kiss for now.

“If Ozpin needs any other assistance…” 

“You’ll be the first to know,” Glynda reassured him

“I must return to my duties. Until next time.”

“Yes, until next time,” Glynda said.

She watched his back as he walked out of the room, shifting from James back to General Ironwood. The change was subtle and dramatic at the same time. The soft click of the door closing told her that her own time just being Glynda was over. It was time to going back to being Ms. Goodwitch. 

Glynda retrieved the clothing that she had left folded up the previous night and put it in her suitcase. She did one final check of her room, making sure that she had left nothing behind. Once she was satisfied she grabbed her suitcase and stepped outside of the room.

“I hope you rest was pleasant,” said Winter.

Glynda stopped and turned her head to the side to see Winter standing against the wall. Her posture was as rigid as ever, but the dark circles under her eyes told Glynda that Winter had stayed up late last night, doubtless it was to make sure that General Ironwood’s orders would be followed as efficiently as possible.

“Yes, it was pleasant,” Glynda said. Whether or not Winter knew, Glynda couldn’t say. If Winter did know about the relationship between Glynda and James then she had never given any indication of it.

“Everything has been prepared and a transport has been requisitioned to accommodate the supplies that Beacon Academy requested,” Winter said.

“Thank you, Winter. Your help has been invaluable. General Ironwood is lucky to have you working for him.”

“No thanks are needed,” Winter said. “Are you ready to leave?”

“Yes, I am,” Glynda lied.

“Right this way then,” Winter said before turning to lead Glynda back through the halls of the school, where students were rushing trying to get to breakfast early enough to get the best food. 

Winter led Glynda back out to the main entrance where what looked like the same car as the previous day was waiting for her. Once Glynda climbed into the backseat of the car it took off, she was lost in thought. She hoped that the equipment would be enough to at least stabilize Amber for the time being. 

“I have prepared a complete inventory for you.”

“Pardon me?” Glynda asked as she was snapped out of her thoughts by Winter’s sudden comment.

“I said that I have prepared a complete inventory for you,” Winter repeated as she handed over a clipboard with everything listed.

Glynda scanned it over. The five crates of medical supplies and therapeutic dust looked like they would be the crates that would have the medical equipment in it based on the name.

“Thank you, Winter, this is perfect.” Glynda looked up from the inventory to look at Winter. “I think Weiss might be a promising new student if she’s anything like her big sister.”

“Weiss is still learning, but she’ll grow into a fine Huntress,” Winter said with pride in her voice, this time for her sister instead of for herself.

The car pulled to a stop closer to the tarmac than any other car could go. Glynda grabbed her luggage and stepped outside, walking purposefully to her waiting airship. The previous one had been a civilian transport. This one was a private flight requested by Atlas Academy, it helped that the headmaster was also the general of the military.

Glynda put her luggage away and checked in with the crew so that they would know she was onboard. Then Glynda went down into the cargo hold, Winter’s inventory in hand. She was going to go through everything, she had to make a show of this being routine just incase any of the crew members were to become curious about what she was doing.

When she got to the crates of medical supplies, Glynda carefully pried open the lid. Seeing the unmistakable lines of Atlisian medical technology, Glynda felt relieved. Even though she knew that General Ironwood would never willingly let them down, it always gave her a sense of peace to confirm it herself.

Glynda sealed up the crates and quickly went through the rest of her inventory. 

There was nothing to do now but to head to her seat and wait out the rest of the flight. As she moved through the airship she based a window in the airship’s stern, it was looking back at Atlas. Glynda could still see the buildings. 

She stopped and watched, wondering if James was looking out his office windows in her direction.

Then the moment passed and Glynda turned away from the window. She would use the rest of the flight to go over paperwork. There was no point in wasting this time.


End file.
